New archaeological discovery in St. Hilarion Monastery

In cooperation with Palestinian experts, a French antiquities mission found graves dating back to the Byzantine era at the site of St. Hilarion in the western Gaza Strip.
A large mosaic is pictured at the archaeological site of the St. Hilarion Monastery, one of the largest Christian monasteries in the Middle East, in Tell Umm al-Amr close to Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, on March 19, 2013. The earliest building dates back to the fourth century and is attributed to St. Hilarion, a native of the Gaza region and the father of Palestinian monasticism. Abandoned after a seventh-century earthquake and uncovered by local archaeologists in 1999, today the settlement asp
A large mosaic is pictured at the archaeological site of the St. Hilarion Monastery, one of the largest Christian monasteries in the Middle East, in Tell Umm al-Amr close to Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, on March 19, 2013. The earliest building dates back to the fourth century and is attributed to St. Hilarion, a native of the Gaza region and the father of Palestinian monasticism. Abandoned after a seventh-century earthquake and uncovered by local archaeologists in 1999, today the settlement aspires to be a world heritage site but is in endanger due to the lack of funding. - MOHAMMED ABED/AFP via Getty Images
Ahmad Abu Amer.jpg
Ahmad Abu Amer
@ahmedmajd1

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — In cooperation with French antiquities experts, archaeology experts at the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities in the Gaza Strip found several Byzantine graves at the St. Hilarion Monastery archaeological site in the western Gaza Strip.

The discovery of the graves came as part of a new phase of excavation work carried out by a French mission at the monastery site in early 2021 to uncover more secrets and collectibles and to work on restoring and preserving the remains of the monuments inside.

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